I've been working on this on and off for a couple of years, trying various specifications and modifications to get the design just right for that rich clean, snappy sound.

I've made parts by hand, had custom parts manufactured specifically and finally, finally, after many, many prototypes & testing sessions they're ready - The new Sweet '14 Foil style pickups. I wanted to create a customisable, standard humbucker/PAF size fatter single coil pickup that had the sweetness & warmth of the original Gold Foils whilst keeping great clarity & string definition with a modern punch & snap that really has a powerful sound when cranked - to really cut through the mix.

The thinner double coated plain enamel 43AWG coil wire helps push the sound that little bit more towards the mid-range for the sweetness I was after and although my personal preference is for an Alnico 2 Bridge/Alnico 4 Neck I decided to offer the full range of magnet options for those who like to create their own combinations - The original 'Gold Foils' people love had weaker rubberised ferrite magnets and although I chose not to use these for the new Sweet '14 Rich Coil pickups as I just wanted something stronger, something a little more modern, I will be using these for the new 44awg true spec/size Gold Foils I'm launching once I've had all the covers & baseplates custom manufactured.

I wanted these pickups to be something different rather than simply re-casing the original design into a humbucker size, as really, for this new Gibson/PAF Humbucker size pickup, I just wanted more snap, more punch whilst keeping that rich sweetness. Ultimately I wanted to create really defined clean sounds that can be the basis for pedals & effects etc.

Magnets don't have 'tone' but what they do have is strength and the custom sizes I've had manufactured do affect the overall sound - all other things being equal. I prefer the Alnico 2 bridge as the slightly weaker magnets help to round out the sound that bit more in the naturally brighter bridge position, whereas the stronger Alnico 4 set helps to keep clarity, definition and snap in the naturally darker neck position.

I've also designed these with a taller coil wrapped around a custom made plated steel blade with a double set of Alnico or Ceramic magnets to really help drive the amp when required for a more modern sound.

Customisable

I often get asked to make pickups with unique or different covers to suit a particular custom guitar and with this in mind, I decided to have my custom rounded edge covers manufactured in an open form design which then would allow the seperate top plate to be completely customisable with any design, colour or finish. Some prefer the old Gold or Silver Foil look whereas others have asked for patterns, prints even material, leather and textured card - to give a unique look and feel to the pickups.

You can select either the Gold or Silver Foil versions but if you'd like a truly custom version, just select 'Custom' from the dropdown menu and leave me a note at the checkout stage or just drop me an email telling a little more about what you have in mind.

Custom Made

Each pickup order is Custom Made in

40-45 Days

Each pickup is custom made by hand and I simply work through orders one-by-one. I had to increase the lead time simply due to demand but let me know if you need them sooner for recording or gigs / live dates.

Payment

Paypal Verified - You don't need to have a Paypal account to pay securely using your regular credit or debit card.